Saturday, June 28, 2014

Elizabeth Kolbert: Covering the hot topic of climate change by going to the ends of the Earth

Abstract

In this interview, author and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert talks with the Bulletin’s Dan Drollette Jr about her recently published book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.
She discusses how she became interested in the topic, the difficulties
she found in explaining complex, interrelated topics
such as climate change, invasive species, and ocean
acidification, and what she hopes readers will take away from reading
the book. She explains the role of a journalist as
opposed to that of a scientist, saying that it is important to explain
the issues to the public, if not necessarily to
offer a list of specific, concrete solutions. Kolbert says she hopes
that
by interpreting complicated scientific evidence for
the general public, her work will encourage engagement with the
problems.

University of Missouri researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.
Before you freak out, Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and
computer engineering at MU says, “People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and
think of something very dangerous. However, nuclear power sources have
already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as human heart
pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems.”
This likely will be quite important. Professor Kwon’s recent paper
submitted to the 15th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors,
Actuators and Microsystems (also known this year by its snappier name,
Transducers 2009) was awarded the honor of being selected as
“outstanding paper” out of the 599 papers admitted out of 1,306 accepted
for review to the June conference in Denver, Colo.
- See more at:
http://newenergyandfuel.com/http:/newenergyandfuel/com/2009/10/12/a-battery-with-a-million-times-more-energy-than-chemical-batteries/#sthash.ngXJZ7fo.dpuf

Report calls for building inland nuclear power stations

2014-06-27 08:28 China Daily
China should vigorously develop nuclear energy and restart the plan to
build nuclear power stations inland to reduce the nation's high energy
consumption per unit of gross domestic product and clear smog and haze,
said a report released on Thursday.
The Report on the Development of China's Eco-Cities (2014), produced by
the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's primary energy
consumption in 2012 was 3.62 billion metric tons of standard coal, or 20
percent of the world's total consumption.
China creates 14,000 yuan ($2,250) of GDP when burning one ton of
standard coal. The figure is the equivalent of 25,000 yuan for the
global average, 31,000 yuan for the Unites States, and 50,000 yuan for
Japan, the report said.
It provided the ranking of 116 major Chinese cities based on their
energy consumption per unit of GDP in 2012. Urumqi, capital of the
Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is at the bottom of the list,
generating only 4,184 yuan of GDP per ton of standard coal. Huangshan,
Anhui province, tops the list at 22,371 yuan, which is still below the
global average.
China consumed about half of the world's coal in 2012. Half of the
consumption was at its thermal power stations, a major discharger of
airborne pollutants. As for hydropower, the country has already
developed 46 percent of the 500 million kilowatts that is considered the
total that can be exploited.
In consequence, the report suggests restarting the plan to build nuclear
power stations inland and reducing the number of thermal power stations
to achieve greener urbanization.
"Setting up nuclear reactors only along the coast cannot fulfill inland
cities' growing thirst for green energy and the sustainability of the
power network during extreme weather," said Chen Xiaoqiu, deputy chief
engineer of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center in the Ministry of
Environmental Protection.
Chen said developing inland nuclear power plants would be an effective
method for optimizing energy distribution and should be considered a
necessity for clearing smog and improving air quality in many regions.
However, some experts strongly oppose the idea of developing inland nuclear power stations.
Wang Yinan, a researcher at the State Council's Development Research
Center, said the latest research has noted that a lack of cooling water
is a major constraint on operating nuclear stations in Europe and the
United States.
This problem could be even tougher for such a thirsty country as China,
whose per capita share of freshwater resources is one-fourth of the
world average, Wang wrote in an article published in April in China
Energy News.

"Nuclear Power Uprates: What, how, when, and will there be more?" by Will Davis

Over the years, existing U.S. nuclear plants have added generating
capacity equivalent to almost 7 entirely new 1000 MWe plants, through
power uprates - an amazing amount of new energy - at a fraction of the
cost. How does this work exactly? Is there room for more? Will Davis at
ANS Nuclear Cafe

Ranking
the challenges of a distributed energy future at Grid Edge Live 2014.
The grid edge is a complex realm, combining traditional utility
operations with the emerging world of distributed energy generation and
control. Greentech Media’s inaugural Grid Edge Live conference, taking
place this week in San Diego, is dedicated to finding solutions to these
complex,

GE’s
apparently successful takeover of key segments of Alstom’s prized
energy business raised eyebrows when many thought German energy giant
Siemens would prevail. Siemens’ unwillingness to part with its train
signaling business – a critical concession made by GE – is reportedly
one aspect of the deal that tipped negotiations in GE’s favor.
Interestingly, the

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on WhiteHouse.gov. The
effects of climate change are already being felt across the nation. In
the past three decades, the percentage of Americans with asthma has more
than doubled, and climate change is putting those Americans at greater
risk of landing in the hospital. The impacts of extreme

7,500 gallons of oil spills in Colorado
riverA
storage tank damaged by floodwaters dumped 7,500 gallons of crude oil
into the Poudre River near Windsor in northern Colorado, slickening
vegetation a quarter-mile downstream, but apparently not affecting any
drinking water, state officials said Friday. Full ArticleShare:

All Energy, All the Time: Information
aftershocksLately,
a third negative Oklahoma story is permeating the national airwaves,
that of our growing earthquake industry. The state is quickly claiming
the title of Earthquake Capitol of the US, as it has already doubled
California in the ground-shaking events this year. Full ArticleShare:

Report calls for building inland nuclear power stations

China should vigorously develop nuclear energy and restart the plan to build nuclear power stations inland to reduce the nation's high energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product and clear smog and haze, said a report released on Thursday.
The Report on the Development of China's Eco-Cities (2014), produced by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's primary energy consumption in 2012 was 3.62 billion metric tons of standard coal, or 20 percent of the world's total consumption.http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2014-06/27/content_17618775.htm

China General Nuclear Group (CGN) announced,
on June 25th, that its overall technology scheme on “Intelligent NPP”
has passed the review of China Nuclear Energy Association, which is
China’s first intelligent nuclear power project. The study results of it
will be successively applied on construction of the domestic nuclear
projects and will be widely applied in 2017.
In recent years, every country have taken the study and research of the
intelligent nuclear power plant as a main means and direction for them
to improve the quality of nuclear design and construction.
Currently CGN is China’s largest nuclear power operator and the world’s
largest nuclear power constructor. So far, CGN has undertaken 64%
production & operation of NPPs in operation and 51% engineering
construction of NPPs under construction in China. In order to further
promote the nuclear design ability, CGN carried out further study and
research on this aspect basing on project construction practice.
According to the scheme reviewed, the project will be carried out
through synergistically developing the seven special items including
“unified business process, collaborative design, intelligent
construction, project management, simulation deduction, and knowledge
engineering and information architecture and data center.

UTILITIES:

Mo. experience epitomizes quandary for nuclear projects

Jeffrey Tomich, E&E reporterEnergyWire: Friday, June 27, 2014

Years after Missouri's largest utility set out to pursue a license
for a second reactor in the state, hundreds of pages of data submitted
to the federal regulators continue to idly collect dust.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's review of Ameren Missouri's
submission is one of seven construction and operating license
applications that have been formally withdrawn or suspended amid the
Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan, the Great Recession and a shale gas
revolution that's upended energy markets.

WWT encourages wells over aging water infrastructure

The Water Well Trust, a national nonprofit helping Americans get
access to a clean, safe water supply, has broken ground on its second
project in Georgia. The existing water infrastructure is failing in Ben
Hill County where the project is taking place, and the county cannot
afford the estimated $600,000 for repairs.

Breaking ground on the first of eight water wells provided by the Water Well Trust. Credit: PRNewsFoto/Water Well Trust

GE makes revised offer for France's
AlstomGeneral Electric Co. on Thursday
submitted a revised offer to buy the power generation business of
France's Alstom SA that the American company hopes will be enough to win
approval from the French government and
see off a rival bid by Germany's Siemens AG.Read MoreShare: